The 418-foot high-speed trimaran, built in Mobile, Ala., is a versatile, new generation of combat ship capable of 50 mph or more. En route to San Diego from Florida, the crew tested the new vessel’s systems and equipment and participated in certification training. Port calls included Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Colombia, Panama and Mexico.

An LCS is outfitted with two crews of about 40 sailors that rotate while on deployment, lessening the strain of being away from home but changing some traditional roles aboard ship.

“It’s not just us screaming at the lower guys,” Petty Officer Ricardo Tovar told 10News. “The CO, the captain, the XO, the command senior chief, they’re all out there with foxtails and dustpans, too. Everybody’s carrying their own weight, everybody washes their own dishes.”

The commissioning ceremony is scheduled for April 5 in its namesake city. The vessel is the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Coronado.

–City News Service

New Combat Ship USS Coronado Arrives in San Diego, Ready to Be Commissioned was last modified: March 10th, 2014 by Christine Huard

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